


Moving Forward

by westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Episode Tag, Episode: s07e01 The Ticket, F/M, Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-11-23
Updated: 2005-11-23
Packaged: 2019-05-30 21:35:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15105326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist/pseuds/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist
Summary: Reconciliation ... always a good place to start.





	Moving Forward

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

**Moving Forward**

by: Samantha 

**Character(s):** Josh, Donna  
**Pairing(s):** Josh/Donna  
**Category(s):** Friendship/Post-Episode  
**Rating:** TEEN  
**Disclaimer:** If they were mine I might be able to afford to move out of this dorm room.  
**Summary:** Reconciliation ... always a good place to start.  
**Spoiler:** The Ticket"  
**Written:** 2005-10-27  
**Feedback:** Please, please, please with electoral votes on top? Oh, and could someone please help me with a better title?  
**Author's Note:** I started this at an urging from the JD Group and it kinda ...developed. More to come. First in the series: "Landing on the Moon". You can find all of my stuff at: http://politicalapprentice.tripod.com/ 

Donna made her way through the Washington Headquarters slowly. She was tired. She was more than tired, but they had a fundraiser at the Hay Adams that night. She'd always loved going to fundraisers, and with her new pay, she could afford a more elegant dress. 

This dress was by far her favorite. It was long, to the floor - not an easy task for a woman who's 5'11 - and deep red. Its tiny straps seemed larger because of her fabulously pale skin. Her hair was done up with tiny curls coming down from atop her head. The glitter in her hair matched the glitter in her dress. 

She was just about to exit and was turning off the main light - everyone had already left for the fundraiser, she'd thought - when she saw the distinct glow of an office light mirrored in one of the windows. Crinkling her brow, she moved towards it and felt a smile tug on her crimson-pained lips at the Yiddish curses she heard coming from inside. 

She stood outside the door and outside his line of vision for several minutes just studying him. _He looks good_ , she thought. _Younger and more energetic than last time_. She wished she could say those things to him, but he'd been icy ever since Lou brought her on a couple of weeks ago. 

She knew she should have told him before she just showed up. Lou had contacted her and she had agreed to come and sit with her. She didn't know that she would be sitting after she gave a briefing to the press. Lou had apparently liked her work and gave her a campaign staff badge. She couldn't help the pang of disappointment because it wasn't him giving it to her. 

He'd noticed her and gave her the lecture about him not being able to give her a job again. She'd told him to take it up with Lou. After what had to have been an interesting meeting, he'd walked into her office and grumbled that she would report to Lou and stay the hell out of his way. She couldn't prevent the tear that fell and seemed to freeze on her face. 

Thirteen long days later, things had only gotten reasonably better. She thinks it's because she's coming into her own and out of his shadow. He sees what she's worth - not that he hadn't before - and this time, for some reason, he's allowing it. 

After a few more curses and what she thought to be an attempt at strangling himself, she got up the courage to act nonchalant and go in for the "big move." 

Laughing, she shook her head and walked into his office, standing in front of him and moving her hands to his tie. "Really, Josh," she smiled, "I can't take it anymore. You really never learned how to tie a bowtie? Not even after I made an alternate career choice?" She was careful not to say `left` in front of him. 

Donna was calm, collected, cool, natural. Josh, on the other hand, was in shock. After how he had treated her, she still came in and helped with his tie. For a second he flashed back to the days of the White House, her fingers brushing against his neck, the way her tongue stuck out a little from the corner of her mouth, the concentration she used just to tie his tie. 

After a long moment, he screamed at himself to snap out of it. Knowing he had to say something, he blurted, "This is no longer part of your job description." 

With a rather inelegant snort and a tiny chuckle she said, "I've got news for you, Josh. This was never in my job description." She arched an eyebrow at him and then did a couple of adjustments to his tie and moved back. "There. And since it's a real tie, you'll certainly be able to pull off your Tony Bennett look tonight." She paused for a moment, then smiled, "And you're starting to get gray hair just like him too." 

The defiant remark died on his lips as he watched her smile. He'd missed that as of late. _You've been missing that since you turned her down for a job, schmuck_ , he told himself. "For your information, I've gained 5 years back on my life since we won the nomination, **Donnatella**." 

_So I'm Donnatella again, huh?_ She smiled, truly believing him. "I noticed. And I've got to say, **Joshua** , that I'm liking the way you grew your hair back. You looked so old when it was short." 

"The ladies liked it short." 

"Maybe the old ladies." 

"We still need to court Florida, Donnatella." 

"Still need the 25 - 30s too." 

"What do you care about the younger generation?" he asked with a lifted brow and a smirk on his face, the slightest hint of his dimples peaking out. 

"Maybe I'm dating one of them," she challenged with a lifted brow of her own. 

"Maybe you're not," he said confidently. _Has he been checking up on me again?_ she asked herself. 

"We have to get over there," she told him as she moved towards the door. She smiled internally with satisfaction as she heard him click off the light and follow her out. 

They shared a cab to the fundraiser, the cabby asking several questions about the campaign and the function, and actually entered together. Donna noticed Will's lifted brow and she shot him a scowl, clearly indicating that she was still pretty angry about what he'd done to both Jed Bartlet and then Bob Russell. _Hypocrite_ , she accused herself, but quickly shook it off saying that she hadn't left Bob Russell for a senior staff position in the White House. _Just the campaign for the next President_ , the stupid voice told her again. 

She was concentrating on her own internal fights when she felt his hand on the small of her back. She had to stop and think about what was happening. It seemed like it'd been years since he last did that. With a smile, she allowed him to move her to the other side of the room to greet some big money donors. 

He'd forgotten, in that moment, that it wasn't typical for him to put his hands on her anymore. When she didn't shake him off, he took it as a good sign. He thought of it as a step to moving on. Moving forward. Healing. 

The entire staff was elated when the fundraiser went off without a hitch. It was after midnight and Josh, Donna, Ronna, Lou, Ned, Matt, Helen, and Bram all sat around the only table left in the room that still had a covering on it. They chatted amiably about what had happened that night, the contacts that were made, and appearances that Donna and Lou wanted Helen to do. 

About 45 minutes later they all decided to call it a night. Donna and Josh shared a cab back to Georgetown. Apparently, along with the dresses, she could now afford a decent apartment in Georgetown. It was nothing like the beautiful brownstones, but it was good enough for her. 

He didn't walk her to her door and she didn't expect him to. She said good night and he did as well, then she moved inside and prepared herself for bed. She would be on a flight to Houston in the late morning. 

Josh remained silent on the way home, ignoring the cabby's question of why he didn't walk his girlfriend to the door. After paying the man, he slowly trudged up his steps and inside his brownstone. He dropped his jacket on the floor, toed off his shoes, stripped down to his boxers and undershirt, and fell face first into bed. 

His mind was whirling. He kept playing the last 13 days and 16 hours over and over in his mind. He could have done so many things differently. He could have been accepting of her new position. They could have been more comfortable so long ago. But he was still scorned and he wanted her to know that. 

So now, as he thought about the events of tonight in his head, he smiled. They weren't completely better yet, but they were getting there. They may never be back to where they were, but he was okay with that. They would be better than they were. She was, after all, in a place of authority now. He snickered to himself, telling the Donna in his head, _But I'm still the campaign manager_. 

The next morning, he woke up with a start. His cell phone was ringing. With a groan, he lifted it to his ear, "Josh Lyman." 

"Josh, it's Ronna. We need you to come in now. Edie's lost her mind. She's put out twelve - twelve! - schedules already. Please come in and, I don't know, send her to Alaska or something." 

"I'll be there in a little bit," he muttered and hung up the phone. He looked at his clock, 7:12, and groaned. What the hell was Edie on? 

He showered and dressed in a gray Armani suit, pulling on the shoes from last night slowly. He would have worn his other ones, but one of them was under the bed so far that he would practically have to crawl under there to get it. _Note to self: either adopt a dog or buy a robot_. 

He made it to the office by 8. He handed Edie a bag of hard candies - sugar free, of course - and told her to calm down. With a satisfied smirk, he made his way into his office. 

As soon as he walked in he saw it. His old Wesleyan mug ... with steam rising from it. He slowly moved around to the back of his desk and leaned over. Coffee. No one brought him coffee. And then he saw the note, the edge underneath the bottom of the mug. 
    
    
    _Josh,_  
    
    	I figured since we were defining things that could be done now that
    I was no longer your assistant, I thought I would bring you some coffee.
    I wish I could have handed it to you - you know, for the `What the hell did
    I do wrong` look you always get - but our flight time had to be moved up
    due to a weather system coming up from the south.  
    
    	Now, yes, I brought you coffee. Sort of. I left you coffee. Don't get
    used to it though. These bouts of thoughtfulness on my part will probably
    not be as frequent as you hope.  
    
    	Do good today.  
    
    
    
    		Donna
    

He couldn't help but smile as he shouted, "Ronna!" 

She scurried into the office with an aggravated look on her face. "What?" 

"Do me a favor. When the Congressman and Donna arrive in Houston, have one of our volunteers bring her a cup of coffee, a muffin, and a bagel." 

Ronna arched a brow at him but wrote it down nonetheless. 

"Oh, and have him hand her a note that says `The finest in the land`. She'll know what it means." 

"You guys are so weird," she muttered to herself as she walked out the door. 

Josh just smiled and picked up his coffee and took a long, slow sip. 


End file.
